52 



EEV. CANON R. J. KNOWLTNG_, D.D., ON 



them, may serve to maintain an interest in New Testament 

 study, and may help us to realize that in this Book of Books we 

 have the words of truth and soberness, wholesome words, even 

 the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and words spoken by men 

 of old, who spake from God, being moved by the Holy Ghost. 



Discussion. 



Canon Girdlestone, who was in the Chair, said it was very 

 encouraging in beginning a fresh year to have such a paper as this. 

 It cleared the air in these days of confusing criticism. We owe a 

 deep debt to Dr. Knowling, and also to our Secretary for reading it. 



I wish to make a few comments on the paper on points that have 

 struck me. 



(1) Page 36. This being the year of Pitman's centenary it is 

 appropriate to consider this question of shorthand writing. It is 

 very important, and the time may come when we shall find that 

 shorthand is really much older than we have ever given it credit 

 for. The Jews spoke slowly, and we may well conclude that 

 speeches were often taken down in shorthand. The pictures dis- 

 covered on walls in Egypt show us scribes with note-books and 

 pens (*?) in their hands. 



(2) Page 38. The passage commencing " A little less, etc.," might 

 be applied to the whole of Christ's teaching. It was post-Jewish 

 but pre-Christian. No Apostle could have invented one of Christ's 

 parables. I believe that the whole of the Gospels were brought to 

 memory by the power of the Eternal Spirit. It is impossible that 

 the Gospels could have been compounded out of Christian " sources." 

 Perhaps even the mysterious Q may prove to be a fictitious person- 

 age. The Gospels bring us face to face with things which Jesus 

 actually said and did. He is the true " Source." 



(3) Page 41. The author refers to the Apocalyptic expressions 

 in the Gospels and to the supposed influence of such writings as the 

 Book of Enoch ; these would require considerably more proof before 

 being accepted. The dates of these works were difficult to ascertain. 

 There were far more proofs of the dates of the books of the New 

 Testament than of these. 



(4) Page 45. With reference to the writer's use of the expression 

 " Saviour-God." In the Epistle to Titus we have the expression " Our 



